Sports of The Times; These Chiefs Have The Answer: 'It's Joe'

By DAVE ANDERSON

Published: January 17, 1994

HOUSTON—
Out at midfield, Joe Montana was sprawled across the red-white-and-blue N.F.L. shield, and it appeared as if he might be carried off on it.

As the 37-year-old quarterback struggled to his feet early in the second quarter, the Chiefs were losing, 10-0, and an illegal-procedure penalty had wiped out Montana's pass to wide receiver J. J. Birden at the Oilers' 4-yard line. Moments later, on third-and-12 at the Oilers' 30, Montana floated a pass to Willie Davis at the goal line, but the wide receiver dropped it.

On the sideline now, Montana was talking to Davis.

"I've missed you twice, and you dropped one," Montana said. "We're going to forget all that and go on."

On to the next play, as the Chiefs often say.

On to another legendary Joe Montana comeback.

On maybe to what would be his fifth Super Bowl.

With 3 touchdown passes, with 22 completions in 38 attempts for 299 yards while sacked only twice by Buddy Ryan's blitz, with his cool in the huddle, Montana created yesterday's 28-20 victory that lifted the Chiefs into the American Football Conference championship game next Sunday in Buffalo and gilded his reputation as arguably pro football's best quarterback ever.

"As the weeks go by, I can feel that confidence," he was saying now. "It feels as good as ever. After a lot of people counted you out, after they said you'll never get this far, I'm still in one piece. It's as good as I've ever felt."

In his first season with the Chiefs after missing virtually all of the previous two seasons with the 49ers, Montana has acknowledged being more aware of the pressure in Kansas City because of the expectations there after he had designed four Super Bowl rings for the 49ers. But if there's more pressure now, maybe he deserves more credit now.

Like all the legendary quarterbacks have done through the years, Montana has made his new teammates better than they ever were.

"It's Joe that's making us better," Davis said. "He doesn't get rattled and he knows the offense like the back of his hand."

During the week, Marty Schottenheimer, the Chiefs' coach, noticed some quotes by Oiler players that questioned Montana's courage.

"They thought he was fine in the first quarter," Schottenheimer recalled, "but in the second quarter he got a little skittish and by the third and fourth quarters, you could see fear in his eyes. In practice I got down near the center and looked up at Joe. He said, 'What are you doing?' I told him, 'I'm looking to see if there's any fear in your eyes.' "

Maybe those Oiler players mistook frost for fear.

"When we needed those touchdowns in the second half, Joe was just like he was at the beginning of the game," tight end Keith Cash said. "He's cool, man. He's just cool. He doesn't get ruffled at all. It rubs off."

Throughout the season and especially when Davis dropped that touchdown pass in the second quarter yesterday, pro football people nodded knowingly and said, "Jerry Rice or John Taylor would not have dropped that ball." But by the end of yesterday's game, Montana did not need Rice or Taylor.

Birden caught 6 passes for 60 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown. Davis caught 5 for 96 yards, including the clinching 18-yard touchdown. Cash caught 4 for 80 yards and a 7-yard touchdown that he celebrated by throwing the ball at a homemade banner with a huge drawing of Buddy Ryan's face.

"I just saw it," Cash said later, "and I just let the ball fly."

As the Oilers' defensive coordinator, Ryan had designed the blitzes that helped the Oilers finish the season with an 11-game winning streak, that led the National Football League with 52 sacks, that knocked two quarterbacks out of games and chased three others to the sideline. But yesterday Montana was sacked only twice by all those blitzes.

"Joe Montana kept getting up," Ryan said. "Like he always does."

Like he did several times wobbling on his slender legs. Like he did wringing his left hand. Like he did despite bruised ribs that, he acknowledged, "had a couple of shots" Saturday to ease the pain.

"You need a quarterback," Birden said, "who reads defenses, who sees the blitz, who knows who to throw the ball to."

It seems as if Montana has always known that. In a career that began in 1979 as the 49ers' third-round draft choice out of Notre Dame, he now has a 17-5 record in the Super Bowl playoffs. But if Montana eases the burden on his teammates with his cool in the huddle, running back Marcus Allen inspires the Chiefs with his pep talks.

"Marcus," said Birden, "will be saying things like, 'Keep your head up, we're going to get this done.' "

In a third-and-2 late in the final quarter, Allen helped get it done with a 21-yard touchdown run that turned off the Oilers' gusher that had their loyalists hoping for the first all-Texas Super Bowl: Cowboys vs. Oilers. Now the most theatrical Super Bowl scenario in Atlanta on Jan. 30 would be Joe Montana going against his former 49er owner, coaches and teammates.

But first the Chiefs must win in Buffalo, where the weather is even cooler than Joe Montana.